5 . As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make a choice between “fight” or “flight” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
1. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
| A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
| B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
| C．they are travelling fast all the time |
| D．they are becoming busier with their work |
2. According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
| A．not fearing stress | B．knowing the art of relaxation |
| C．high sense of responsibility | D．having control over performance |
3. Which of the following statements is true?
| A．We can find some ways to avoid stress. |
| B．Stress is always harmful to people. |
| C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work. |
| D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress. |
4. In Paragraph 3, “such a reaction” refers back to_______.
| A．“making a choice between ‘flight’ or ‘fight’” |
| B．“reaction to stress both chemically and physically” |
| C．“responding to crises quickly” |
| D．“losing heart at the signs of difficulties” |
5. In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ______.
| A．“expose ourselves to stress” |
| B．“find ways to deal with stress” |
| C．“remove stress from our lives” |
| D．“established links between diseases and stress” |
